The Olive Branch Group Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an approach to help people experiencing a wide range of mental health difficulties.

The basis of CBT is that how we think affects how we feel emotionally and can also alter how we act.

During times of mental distress the way a person sees and judges themselves can become distorted.  As a result these perceptions can affect the things that happen to them. Things tend to become more extreme and unhelpful. This can worsen how the person feels and can cause them to act in ways that keeps their distress going.

When anxious or depressed for example, cognition (thinking) tends to focus on excessive worry about things. In anxiety, the person may expect the worst to happen, or misinterpret anxiety symptoms for physical illness. In depression, the person may believe they are bad, or have done something wrong, although this is groundless.

How does it work?

The therapist will work jointly with the client to help them begin to identify and then change their extreme thinking and unhelpful behaviour. By doing this, the result is a significant improvement in how the person feels and lives their day to day life.

CBT can help you to make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. This makes it easier to see how they are connected and how they affect you. These parts are:

• A Situation - a problem, event or difficult situation

From this can follow:

• Thoughts
• Emotions
• Physical feelings
• Actions

Each of these areas can affect the others. How you think about a problem can affect how you feel physically and emotionally. It can also alter what you do about it.

What does it involve:

 
•    Clients will have weekly sessions, each session lasting between 45 minutes to an hour.  If necessary, session times will be reduced for children.
•    Therapy normally lasts between 2 - 6 months (however a programme will tailored to the needs of the client following an initial consultation)
•    Clients will be expected to complete work between sessions, this enables the client to
try out new skills and record outcomes of alternative - more rational thinking.

Who can it benefit:

Adults or young people suffering from any of the following:
 
•    Anxiety
•    Fears and phobias
•    Anger
•    Stress
•    Eating disorders
•    Body dismorphic disorder
•    Low self-esteem
•    Obsessive compulsive disorder
•    Behaviour problems

The Olive Branch Group offers an independent CAF (Common Assessment Framework) report writing service - with initial assessments carried out within 7 working days.  Referrals can be made by phone or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .